Every office has that one person that constantly has a story to tell or an irrelevant question to ask, making it so no one else in the office can actually get anything done.
While a little friendly banter with your coworkers can be a good thing, a guy (or gal) who constantly distracts you from getting your work done is not. If you’ve become the target of the office chatterbox, one sure-fire way to get rid of them is to give them something to do.
The concept behind this idea is simple: If someone has the time to constantly interrupt you with irrelevant discussion, then they probably have time to do something else. So, ask them to.
For instance, if Bob keeps coming over to chat with you about nonsense all day, the next time he stops by ask him to go make some copies for you or help you finish a report you’re working on.
It doesn’t matter what you’re asking him to do as much as it matters that you’re asking him to help you do something work-related, preferably something that takes a task you don’t want to do off your plate.
When you do this, one of two things will likely happen:
1. Bob will tell you he’s too busy to do your thing and will leave you alone.
2. Bob will actually do the thing you asked him to and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
In both situations, you’re accomplishing the main goal, which is to get Bob to leave you alone so you can focus on your work.
Of course, it’s not fool proof. There’s also the rogue Bob that won’t be able to take a hint and won’t leave you alone or do the thing.
That said, even the most clueless of people will start to remember that visiting your desk tends to get them assignments, and if they’re assignments they don’t want, they’ll hopefully start to steer clear.
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